Potato and Corn Chowder

Hey everyone!  I know it's been a while (since October!) but I'm back, and trying to multitask so I can get back on track with this blog.  My photography has been taking off, and I've been very busy with it, especially through November and December, so I was making a lot of repeat recipes, and any new ones, I forgot to take pictures.  I have challenged myself to a photo a day project, so when I make a new recipe, I'm going to try to make my photo for that day of the recipe I make.  Multitasking at it's best!  Anyway, onto this awesome soup recipe.  I found this one on another blog through Pinterest, and modified it to my liking.

Ingredients:
8 oz (1/2 lb) bacon, cooked until crispy.  I used Turkey Bacon.
2 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes, rinsed, NOT peeled, and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
8 cups kernel corn (frozen is fine)
1 medium-large yellow onion, finely chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
32 oz Chicken stock or broth
16 oz half & half or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
salt & pepper to taste

Vegetarian Substitutions:
Veggie Broth instead of Chicken Broth
Veggie Bacon (yes this does exist, I Googled!)

Method:
This was originally a crock pot recipe but I modified it for the stovetop.  Simmer garlic and onions in a small amount of the chicken broth until tender.  Add in the rest of the broth, potatoes, and corn, and seasoned salt.  Turn up the heat, bring to a boil and let cook until the potatoes start to get tender, 10-15 minutes or so depending on your stove.  While that is cooking, chop up the bacon into whatever size pieces you like.  I like them a bit smaller.  When the potatoes are tender, add in the bacon.  If you have a hand blender, remove soup from the heat and blend about half of it.  If you don't, take out half the soup and blend in a blender.  Return to pot/heat.  Add cream, and salt & pepper to taste.  I added in a little more seasoned salt too.  Cook until blended and heated through, and serve.

The Verdict:
We loved this the first time I made it, and I decided to make it again since it's pretty simple.  Very tasty.  It can be made vegetarian with the substitutions I listed above.  It came out a bit thicker the first time I made, it and it was really good.  I didn't weigh my potatoes this time around, so I think I didn't have as much.  If you like a thicker soup, use more potato.  If you like it a bit thinner, use less.  Simple as that!  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings Soup

I recently picked up another Taste of Home magazine, and this one was all soups.  One of the first ones I noticed was a Chicken and Dumpling recipe.  I've wanted to make one for a while.  It turns out this magazine has 2 recipes in it, so I took the parts I liked from each one and combined them into my own.  It came out great!

Sorry for the low quality photo.  I seem to have forgotten to take a pic, so I had to use one from my phone!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

Olive Oil

1/2 cup flour

10 cups water

1/3 cup chicken bouillon granules

1 16oz package of frozen peas and carrots

1 1/2 to 2 lbs chicken breast, chopped or cubed

1 can Cream of Chicken soup, undiluted

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, undiluted

Black Pepper to taste

All purpose biscuit/baking mix

Method:

In a stock pot, saute onion in olive oil until tender.  Stir in flour until blended.  Add water (or broth if you decide to go that route, see my recommendations), bouillon, chicken, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and let chicken cook a little bit.  Add in the cans of soup and mix well.  Let this mixture cook for a few minutes at a simmer.  While this is cooking, follow the directions on the back of the biscuit mix box to make dumplings.  I honestly just mixed the baking mix and milk until it looked good enough!  As far as an amount, if you want a lot of dumplings, make a double or triple batch of the portion on the box.  The original recipe I pulled this from used 5 cups of mix with 1 1/3 cup milk, but that seemed like a lot, so I used a little more than half that and it was a pretty good amount. Once the mix is blended, drop rounded tablespoonfuls (or whatever size you prefer) into the simmering soup.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.  Do not lift the cover while simmering!

My Recommendations:

As I said, I pulled this from 2 different Chicken and Dumpling recipes in the magazine.  Next time I think I will just buy chicken broth instead of going with the bouillon.  It will probably be a lot less salty, and therefore, more healthy.  Also, I kind of guessed on the dumplings but they still turned out great, a little bit doughy, just like I like.  Next time I think I will do a little bit smaller pieces of dumpling, but that's all personal preference.

The Verdict:

Love this one!  I had actually had the Chicken and Dumplings soup by Campbell's Chunky a while back, and thought about trying to make it. I kind of forgot about it until now.  This soup is exactly what I was looking for, but way better than the canned version!  I will definitely be making this again, especially over the winter.  I'm sure it will be great for freezing too.

Black Bean Soup

One of my coworkers asked me if I could make a black bean soup.  I decided to give it a try since I'd never really had it before, let alone made it, but since I love black beans, why wouldn't I like black bean soup?  For some reason I thought Hubby didn't like it, but I was wrong.  He was so excited when I told him I was making my coworker's request!  I actually made this once a while back, and had meant to post it, then lost all my info!  I had pulled my ideas from a few recipes I found online.  I searched and found it all again and made the soup for this week, and I think it turned out even better this time.  So it all works out!  You can make this with any broth you like, so it can be vegetarian (possibly vegan) if you use veggie broth.  I don't know much about vegan cooking, but if it counts then, even better!  I think the only thing that's not vegan would be the cheese and sour cream toppings recommended at the end.

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium to large onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

(1) 32 oz carton of your broth of choice (veggie, chicken or beef will work, your preference)

(3) 29 oz cans of black beans (mostly drained, not rinsed, and divided)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

1 teaspoon oregano
A handful of fresh finely chopped Cilantro
Ground Black Pepper to taste

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

Preparation and Cooking Method:

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Sauté onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Add bell pepper and garlic and sauté 1-2  minutes more.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Return heat to medium high.  Add half of the beans, salt, cumin, oregano, and cayenne powder and mix well.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat temporarily.  If you have a hand blender, puree the soup mixture right in the pot.  Otherwise you will have to use a blender, and probably do it in a couple separate rounds depending on how much soup you make.  After the mix is pureed, return soup to heat, and add the rest of the beans and cilantro.  Combine the cornstarch and water and mix well.  Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch mixture to the soup, stir, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes or so.

The Verdict:

I think I changed a few things from the first time I cooked this, but it came out awesome this time!  I will be very happy eating this all week, and so will Hubby.  If you want a little more texture, keep some of the onions and peppers aside and add them after you puree.  I was going to do this, and even had some that I set aside, but not thinking, I threw them in the pot before I pureed everything.  If you want the soup to be thicker, add more beans before pureeing, and vice versa if you don't like it as thick.  Top the soup with some shredded monterey jack cheese, scallions and sour cream if you like as well.

Click here for the printable PDF recipe page!

Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

Here's a great easy recipe I based off a recipe I found on the Whole Foods website.  It's easy to prep and fast to cook.  We had it for dinner tonight and it was hubby approved.  It's also very light and low calorie.  Also, don't be confused by the tags for this soup.  A couple easy changes will make this a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken broth, (or vegetable broth for vegetarian) divided

1 medium onion, chopped 

3 medium carrots, chopped 

2 stalks celery, chopped 

2 cups water 

1 cup long grain brown rice 

½ lb chicken breast, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (tofu or quartered button mushrooms for vegetarian) 

1 bay leaf 

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced 

salt and pepper to taste 

oregano to taste 

Method:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring ½ cup broth to a simmer. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth, water, rice, chicken and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 35 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and stir in kale. Continue cooking just until kale is wilted and tender.

The Verdict:

As I said above, this was hubby approved and very easy to make.  It made a pretty decent amount so we should get a few days of meals out of it.  You can also make 2 easy changes to make this a vegetarian meal.  The original recipe didn't call for the salt, pepper, or oregano.  I added the oregano, but I would like a little more flavor, so I will add a tiny bit of salt and some pepper next time.  Over all, it was very tasty and light and I look forward to the left overs!

Click here to download the PDF page for this recipe!

Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Soup

This is another one I threw together in the slow cooker.  The amounts are approximate, and can be modified for preference.  Unfortunately the only picture of it I have at the moment is pre-cooked, but it still looks pretty tasty and colorful!

Ingredients:

8 cups beef stock or broth

2 lbs stewing beef, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cups potatoes, diced

2 cups cut up carrots or baby carrots

2 cupsFrozen cut green beans

2 cups Frozen peas

Montreal Steak Seasoning (optional)

Preparation and Cooking:

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker, mix, and top with a few shakes of Montreal Steak seasoning for a little kick and flavor.  You can also get it in a spicy variety.  Set on low for 8 hours or high for 4.  This could also be cooked on the stove in a stock pot, simmering on medium until the meat is cooked through.

The Verdict:

This was a great soup.  It is fairly easy to make.  This recipe made a lot so it can be cut back if you need less.  It was very tasty and is pretty healthy and light with all the veggies.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Here is another recipe I got from the Whole Foods website many months ago.  I finally decided to try it.  Once again it was rave reviews all around.  I love it, and my husband and coworkers did too!  It's also one of a very few vegetarian recipes I have, which I'd like to find more of.  Here it is on the stove, still cooking in my new stock pot.  I don't have a picture of the finished product, I forgot!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 

1/4 cup tomato paste 

1/4 cup chopped parsley 

1 tablespoon chopped basil 

2 large stalks of celery, sliced 

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 

1 dried bay leaf 

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with their liquid 

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained 

1 cup dried fusilli (rotini) pasta 

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or white beans, drained 

Salt and pepper to taste 

3/4 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional for topping soup when serving)

Preparation and Cooking:

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until translucent. Add broth, tomato paste, parsley, basil, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and tomatoes with their juice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add chickpeas, pasta, and beans and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

My Recommendations:

The recipe originally called for cabbage, but hubby and I aren't fans so I left it out.  I also didn't read once again, and just used the whole can of chickpeas but it actually worked out because I made a little bit more than the recipe calls for.  The only size containers of broth I could find at the store were 32 oz each.  They were really low on broth that day.  I didn't feel like having left over veggie broth that would just sit in the fridge and go bad,  so I used it all.  It was only an extra 2 cups of broth.  I just added in a little more of each of the veggies.  Of course, being part Sicilian, I didn't think 1 cup of dry noodles was enough.  I was wrong.  I went overboard and put way too many in and it soaked up a lot of the broth.  It was still good, but next time I make this, I will stick to the recipe on the noodle amount!  I also used whole grain rotini.  I couldn't tell the difference.  It tasted great!  Other than that, I just had a little fun with spices from the spice rack, tossing in a little Oregano, Basil, and whatever else smelled like it would go well!

The Verdict:

All around good reviews.  I'll definitely be making it again, with less pasta so it's more soupy.  It's a very filling and tasty soup!  This recipe makes a lot, and I'm sure it would be great for freezing as well.

Click here to download this recipe page!

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a recipe I came up with on my own, although it's really not too difficult!  I cooked everything but the noodles in the slow cooker, because it's all I had until I recently bought a stock pot.  I cooked the noodles separately, as directed, and then added them in afterwards.  I decided to do this, because last time I made the mistake of adding them to the slow cooker, and they turned the whole soup into a slimy mess.  This batch was a lot more successful!

Ingredients:

8 cups (48 oz) chicken stock or broth

5-6 cups cooked or boiled chicken, diced

Desired amount of cut up carrots or baby carrots, and cut up celery

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup or so finely chopped parsley

desired amount of egg noodles, cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water

Slow Cooker Method:

Cook or boil the chicken, and dice into small pieces.  Combine all ingredients except noodles in slow cooker.  Cook on High for 4 hours.  Cook about half the bag of noodles as directed.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  When soup mixture is finished, add in noodles until you get your desired amount.  Serve or store for later!

The Verdict:

This one was another hit with the husband and co-workers as well.  It's simple, and was very easy and cheap to make.  I've learned to take my extra left overs into work.  They always get eaten!  Next time I make this, I will make it in the new stock pot I just bought since it would probably take less time and I could just add the noodles and chicken in raw and let them cook in the pot instead of separately.  I'll make sure to update when I try it that way!

Chicken and White Bean Soup

Hello All, I hope you had a good Christmas!  I was on vacation, and therefore, not motivated to do much of anything computer related, aside from playing the Sims.  But that doesn't mean I wasn't cooking!

I adapted this recipe from a couple I had, and it turned out fabulous!  It was originally supposed to be a white chicken chili, but ended up as a soup, and I was not disappointed.  I've learned if I want something to thicken, I need to get a good stock pot and cook on the stove.

I had all the ingredients, and kind of winged it as far as amounts go, so I will try to guestimate, but use your judgement depending on pot size and amount you actually want to make.  This filled a 6 qt slow cooker nearly to the brim, and it took a while, and me bringing some to work for my coworkers for us to get rid of it all!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups Chicken stock or broth

2-3 16 oz cans of White Kidney (Cannellini) Beans (I used 3)

5-6 cups diced cooked (or boiled) chicken

2 cans Cream of Chicken condensed soup

1-2 cups Salsa of your choice

1 cup water

1-1.5 cups chopped onion (I use sweet onions in everything)

1-2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1-2 Tablespoons Oregano

2-3 Garlic cloves, minced

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Cayenne powder

1-2 tablespoons Cumin (my new favorite spice!)

If you like other spices, or some salt and pepper, feel free to add those in if you like

Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese - for serving on top of soup (optional)

Preparation:

There's really not much to it.  I boiled a few large chicken breasts and diced them up.  Then everything went into the crock pot and was mixed well.  Set the crock pot for 6-8 hours on low and you're done!  You oculd also cook on high 3-4 hours.  When it's done, stir, and serve topped with the shredded cheese or even a little sour cream, or let cool and store/refrigerate!

The Verdict:

No modifications for this one since it was somewhat my own.  Like I said, this was a combo of two recipes, and it came out way better than I ever expected!  We definitely ended up with a lot so if you don't want or need a whole lot, cut the recipe in half, or you can make the whole batch, then freeze the rest.  It was very flavorful and tasty.  Hubby and I both had quite a bit over the week our portion lasted, and 2 of my coworkers had some that I brought to work, and all I heard was rave reviews, especially since one of them ate 3 or 4 bowls over 2 days, then handed me the empty container with a big smile on his face.  It helps to have a husband and guy coworkers that are garbage disposals I suppose :)

Edited to Add:
I have also cooked this in the soup pot on top of the stove.  If you need it more quickly than in the slow cooker, go this route.  You can just toss everything in, and since it will be boiling, you can put the chicken in raw after you dice!

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!

Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup

This is a recipe I tried a few weeks or so ago, and it was great.  I figured it would be a good start off for this blog.  I found it on the Whole Foods website under their recipe section.  It's one that I actually didn't double or modify as far as amount of ingredients because it is geared towards a large slow cooker.  Since mine is huge (6 quart), it worked out perfectly.  The one trick to this recipe is to layer the ingredients in, in the order they are given, so pay attention! :)  I will put my notes and modifications in as well.

This picture is from the website.  I'll most likely use my own in the future.

Ingredients:

1 (16-oz) package dried green split peas, rinsed

1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks or 2 cups diced ham 

1 cup sliced baby carrots 

1 cup chopped onion 

2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced into small pieces 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 bay leaf 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 

Salt and pepper to taste 

6 cups (48 oz) chicken broth

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given, adding the broth last. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8-10 hours until peas are very soft and if using ham bone or hocks, ham falls off the bone.  When soup is finished, stir to blend ingredients. 

My Modifications/Notes/Recommendations:

I went the easy route and bought a package of diced ham.  It makes life easy for me because I usually cook late at night after work.  If you have a ham bone or hocks, go for it.  I'm sure it will be just as tasty.

The original recipe called for celery, but I omitted that and replaced it with diced potatoes (about 1/2 inch size pieces).  I did not cook them beforehand.  This part can be tedious, but I happen to have a veggie chopper thing that is wonderful.  Look for a future post on my favorite kitchen gadgets :)

I use sea salt instead of regular salt, a little healthier, and better tasting in my opinion at least.  You don't need a whole lot though since the ham helps in that department.  

I followed everything else down to the wire.  The great thing with my crock pot is that it's programmable so I set things like this to cook over night and it shuts itself off (goes to warming mode) when the timer runs out.  I set this for 8 hours and went to bed.  When I got up the morning, everything was still pretty much in the layers I had made the night before.  I gave it a good stir and it was ready to go.  I found the bay leaves and tossed them out. 

The Verdict:

We LOVED it.  I will definitely be making this again very soon.  It made enough to get us both through the week, which doesn't usually happen, because I believe my husband has a tapeworm, judging by the amount of food he can put down.  I give this one an A+

Nutritional Info:

Per serving (about 14oz/393g-wt.): 260 calories (40 from fat), 4g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 690mg sodium, 34g total carbohydrate (13g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 23g protein.  Provided by the Whole Foods website.

Click here to download a printable page for this recipe!